Kraig Ewert

As far as developing B&W reversal film in Caffenol for a positive projectable image, I found this to be a good resource in terms of developing reversal with house-hold chemicals; coffee, vitamin-c, and hydrogen peroxide in place of reversal bleach. Here:

http://www.filmlabs.org/docs/citric-hydrogen-peroxide-bleach.pdf

It can take a bit of experimenting to get the concentrations and times just right, but with the above mentioned recipe and some testing of my own I've been able to get clear, consistent, B&W reversal images using a Caffenol recipe, 3% hydrogen peroxide, and lemon juice, with a normal Kodak Fixer.

Hopefully the link can help you get some results you want and are happy with, if you have the patience for doing a bit of experimenting you can definitely get some really great results, ones you wouldn't getting using standard developing methods.

It has nothing to do with the ground glass. The change in field of view is because of the smaller size of the 16mm negative.

I appreciate the clarification on the this part as I am still learning, every little bit of new knowledge helps! But I've notice in other posts and topics I've stumbled upon, a large air of condescension in your responses, though hopefully this attitude is just unintentional. I did mention in my post that a 50mm is a 50mm whether going from 16 to 35, with telephotoing however. From my experience it's a good starter to merely "think" of a 35mm lens as a different lens when switching to smaller formats, just to wrap one's head around it, I've run into this problem a lot with classmates, so it's not unfounded. In the advent and height of DSLR shooting a lot of beginners expect the field of view coverage to be the same as their DSLRs when stepping into 16mm filming when they can use their early 35mm lens sets. Just trying to clarify, I have a difficult time sometimes being as clear as I'd like on these forums, but do my best to be as helpful as I can, processing is more my speciality. But thanks again!

Not necessarily a problem, but because the ground glass is set farther back on the Krasnogorsk using any still 35mm M42 mount lens turns it into a telephoto one on the Kransnorsk. So a 50mm which can be great for say a wide shoot on a 35mm still camera basically just becomes a 50mm "zoom" for the Krasnogorsk. Which isn't a bad thing, the lenses work great with the camera you just need to take that into account when you're filming. If you can get your hands on a 28mm or even lower M42/Pentax lens it can work wonderfully as goto glass. I'm not an expert by any means on lens/camera/cinema optics by any means. I had a nice collection of M42 lens I use for still photography, and wanted to get myself my first tank of a 16mm camera so I got a nice Krasnogorsk-3. And I've been shooting some great film with all the M42s I've got. I'm sure there's a flange mount or wide-angle adapter/work around someone knows about but I haven't had any problems using the 35mm M42s, and love shooting with them. They're hardy, aren't difficult to find, and are very affordable glass. So no problem just the issue of telephotoing. It's great if you can get your hands on a cheap 28mm. I hope that helps and sorry for the long response but I wanted to give you an answer that made sense. Have fun and have fun shooting!

Just wanted to mention an update, I won a $533 School Equipment Fund Grant for this film, The Grillo Award at CU Boulder.

Thanks again, it was a fun little project to spend my time on. And a great experience getting it from script to where it is now. If it can get any good reaction, or be providing of a little fun entertainment, then I'm definitely happy with it.

-- make stories you can enjoy. surely, others can relate to and enjoy those stories. and when it stops being fun, you can always get off this amusement ride. and do it again tomorrow

With the new semester starting there'll be plenty of project opportunities after this and even more after that.

Thanks again!

The moment you make something that totally goes left field and doesn't follow any real standard, you are no longer being judged by your peers. The audience doesn't know what's a mistake and the filmmaker can say everything was "intentional" which doesn't really teach you anything.

 

 

I agree with with you there, experimenting can have that problem too. One of my favorite things about filmmaking though is that one audience member's view of a glaring mistake could be another's favorite moment. And critical feedback, sometimes negative is the best, can be the best way to learn. So thanks again for the feedback, all great things to take away.

Not to be blasé, but as a filmmaker, I just see lazy filmmaking. I'm glad someone else likes it, just goes to show; there is something for everyone. However, the noir and experimental genre's, usually work best with some elements of realism. Plus, a lot of young filmmakers spend too much time experimenting with concepts that aren't viable on the open market. I've always told young filmmakers to spend more time focused on creating product which are marketable. That's where you'll find success in the long-term and hopefully a career in the media arts.

 

Good luck with your future filmmaking!

Thanks for the critique, and I appreciate it but I think whole heartedly that school is the best time to experiment outside of form and norm. I've noticed to many of my fellow classmates hung up on narrative viability, straight forwardness, and gear obsession. Playing in the abstract is the best way to find your own voice and strengthen those concepts later. Thanks for the comment.

 

 

My only critique would be that you should shoot your own footage for your next project.

Thanks again. I may have mis-typed when I said "found-footage" it's mostly reaproppriated sound. Everything with the puppet & cast was 100% shot by me, just to clear that up. Thanks for taking the time to give some honest feedback.

Thanks so much, I've been working hard on it for month. It's awesome for great feedback. Really glad you appreciated and enjoyed it. Thanks again!

This is a short project I've been finishing up for school. A neo-noir filled with stock footage appropriation and plenty of experimentation. Critques and comments welcome.